by Subhash K Jha

Only the current flavour of the charts Himesh Reshammiya could have pulled it off. At his first international concert held at the Country Club in Dubai on 23 March Himesh got Indian Idol winner Abhijeet Sawant and Sa Re Ga Ma finalists Vinit and Himani to join him for a rendition of Just chill.

"I guess it was an evening of many firsts," says the restrained but discernibly excited chart-masala creator. "It was my first concert abroad. And there were 8,000 people clapping cheering and dancing as I performed for one hour and fifteen minutes.

We also brought Emran Hashmi's birthday in right on stage with a huge birthday cake. It was all a part of a live act which I'll never forget. About 2,000 people couldn't get into the theatre. It was madness."

The performances include Sa Re Ga Ma's Vinit and Himani's renderings of Himesh's numbers.

Is Himesh encouraged to go for more live performances? "I'd love to. But only if it's organized as well as this Aap Ka Suroor concert in Dubai. I can't be seen singing and dancing all over the place."

Himesh returns to Mumbai later this week with a surprise. "For those who have been complaining that my sufiana singing is getting repetitive, here's some news. I'm changing my style entirely for Vipul Shah's Namaste, London.

It's an intense love story and I'll be doing strong melodies that have an old-world quality. But they must also represent a sound that's 'now' ...and never! It's a sound that listeners haven't heard before."

And for those who think Himesh frowns too hard in public he has decided to change that as well. "I'm surprised at this reputation I've acquired of being a sour-puss. In my music videos so far there was no room for laughter.

And on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa I was too involved with the proceedings to let my hair down. But now that you mention it, I agree I need to lighten up. I'll be smiling a lot more. I've a lot of reason to be happy."